De effecten van gezinssamenstelling, gezinscohesie en emotionele expressiviteit binnen het gezin op de ontwikkeling van algemene en verticale identiteit van adolescenten in Nederland

Abstract

The present study searches for effects of family situation, family cohesion and familial emotional expressions (EE) on the development of general and vertical identity for Dutch adolescents. Within 1 year 2 surveys were classically conducted with 205 boys en 249 girls at the lower age groups of HAVO, VWO and Gymnasium education, including the Spatial Continuity of Identity Questionnaire, 13 items of the Leuvense Gezinsvragenlijst and the Level of Expressed Emotions. Family situation was measured through 1 item with 7 options, later divided in ‘biological father and mother’, ‘1 biological parent’, ‘1 biological parent with stepparent’ and ‘other family situation’. On the 1st measuring correlation is found for all variables, except the family situation: for families with 2 parents higher family cohesion levels have been found. There are significant longitudinal effects on the variables of the 2nd measure (family situation excluded), including autoregressive effects between family variables and identities. The effect of EE on the General Identity (GI) exists also after including the GI on the 1st measure. Future research will improve findings with a larger sample that includes the VMBO education (55% of Dutch adolescents), a better procedure and inclusion of a wider age range. This and future studies limit shifting results concerning the effects of family variables on identity development for Dutch adolescents